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Tag Archives: review
The Real King of Rock & Roll is Not Elvis
There’s nothing like dying to make people appreciate your life –and there aren’t many lives as dramatic as Little Richard’s. A new Dogwoof biopic from Director Lisa Cortés, I am Everything, follows his journey. It shows how ‘The Architect of … Continue reading
Is Paul Simon Homeward Bound?
Posted in Miscellaneous, Reviews
Tagged 7 psalms, Belief, Derek Walker, faith, Mortality, Paul Simon, review, Seven Psalms
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Lennon, Dylan, Alice, Jesus – and Who Else?
Greg Laurie, Salem Books This read-in-a-day book is very enjoyable, if you are interested in the spiritual side of rock – but be prepared for a highly subjective view. From the title, I was expecting an in-depth look at the … Continue reading
Posted in Book Reviews
Tagged Alice Cooper, Bob Dylan, Derek Walker, Dion, Greg Laurie, John Lennon, Lennon Dylan Alice Jesus, Marshall Terrill, review, Salem books
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Breaking Up Badly – The Banshees of Inisherin
I know that plot is important, but sometimes art’s atmosphere or style draws me in and leaves a bigger impression. I vividly remember the day in my teens when I discovered the Titus Groan / Gormenghast novels and was hooked … Continue reading
Posted in DVDs / Blu-Ray, Reviews
Tagged Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, Derek Walker, Martin McDonagh, review, The Banshees of Inisherin
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Steve Hackett – Genesis Revisited Live: Seconds Out
Seconds Out: You could probably guess the sound and quality of this album with some 95% accuracy, even if you haven’t heard it. Hackett has spent a quarter century specialising in recreating the best of his former band Genesis’ songs, … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Rock Reviews
Tagged Derek Walker, Genesis, review, Seconds Out and More, Steve Hackett
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Yes- The Quest
The pioneering prog rockers’ first new album in seven years stands above much of their later work. This is a subtle reinvention and a worthwhile addition to the canon.
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh – the Sea Maiden
This is the way to do traditional Irish music. The 28-minute EP Thar Toinn/ Seaborne shows a wonderful sense of restraint, and its simplicity means that there are no distractions from its key features: Nic Amhlaoibh’s voice, the strongly Celtic … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Roots and Folk Reviews
Tagged Celtic, Derek Walker, folk, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, review, Thar Toinn/ Seaborne, yaybahar
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Transatlantic – The Absolute Universe
So much is epic about this release, from the less-than-modest title and the ambitious approach to production to the power of the music and – of course – the musicianship behind it all.
Posted in Reviews, Rock Reviews
Tagged Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, Pete Trewavas, Prog, review, Roine Stolt, The Absolute Universe, Transatlantic
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Waterboys – Good Luck Seeker
Fisherman’s Blues this certainly isn’t – but it’s exhilarating, just the same.
Posted in Miscellaneous, Reviews, Roots and Folk Reviews
Tagged Derek Walker, Good Luck seeker, Mike Scott, review, Waterboys
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Hackett, Steve – Under a Mediterranean Sky
We may not be able to travel the Mediterranean at the moment, but Hackett gives us an impressionistic tour with this acoustic-and-strings project as he continues to broaden his scope. I often find it fascinating to hear an artist’s work … Continue reading
Posted in classical, Reviews, Rock Reviews, World Music Reviews
Tagged Acoustic, classical, Derek Walker, nylon guitar, review, Steve Hackett, Under a Mediterranean Sky
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Molly Tuttle – …but i’d rather be with you
This is very decent for a lockdown stopgap. Label: Compass RecordsTime: 10 tracks / 39 mins Last year I was completely bowled over by Tuttle’s début album When You’re Ready. I noted that, “There are no fireworks here, just beautifully, … Continue reading
Kate Rusby: Handed Down Songs
There are two big questions here: how old does a song have to be to be classed as a folk song? And how should you approach a cover – be faithful to the original or make it your own?
Posted in Reviews, Roots and Folk Reviews
Tagged Covers album, Derek Walker, Hand Me Down, Kate Rusby, review
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A Genesis in my Bed
There might be less Genesis than I expected in guitarist Steve Hackett’s pacy autobiography, but the ‘other stuff’ is just as interesting. Any prog fan will enjoy this – and it is so easy to keep re-reading.
Posted in Book Reviews, Rock Reviews
Tagged A Genesis in my Bed, Genesis, review, Steve Hackett, The Publicity Connection, Wymer Publishing
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A Proper Double Album – Dreamland
Is Dan Whitehouse the David Bowie of folk? His voice often has the same timbre. He also has a similar sensitivity to moods, strong songwriting talent and flippant approach to genre, letting songs find their own sound, rather than force … Continue reading
Gigspanner – a Cert for Best-of-2020 Folk Album Lists.
There are times when ‘big’ is highly relative, and that applies to Gigspanner, the trio formed by ex-Steeleye Span veteran Peter Knight. Its Big Band version still only has six members.
Posted in Reviews, Roots and Folk Reviews
Tagged Big band, Derek Walker, Edgelarks, Gigspanner, Peter Knight, review, Steeleye Span
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Dion – “I Should be Dead.” But he’s Fully Alive Here.
“If I got what’s coming, man, I should be dead,” sings Dion on the star-studded Blues with Friends. He’s right, after 15 years of heroin addiction and a last-minute decision to save $36 – and inadvertently his life – by … Continue reading
Posted in Blues Reviews, Reviews
Tagged Blues, Blues with Friends, Dion, Jeff Beck, Joe Bonamassa, Noble PR, Paul Simon, review, Springsteen
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Avishai Cohen – Big Vicious
This is a remarkable instrumental album. Sometimes jazz releases can be clever-but-unpleasant; this one, though, is an absolute delight, because the band has put melody centre stage, expanded the style to include electronica, and re-invented a classic Massive attack track … Continue reading
Posted in Jazz Reviews, Reviews
Tagged Avishai Cohen, Big Vicious, Derek Walker, ECM, jazz, Massive Attack, post-jazz, review, Teardrop
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Tangerine Dream – Recurring Dreams
Electronica pioneers reinvent some of their classic work. Tangerine Dream were true innovators, pioneering the use of synthesizers as a sole instrument and creating a mainstream genre in the process. It took a while. Their initial work was what a … Continue reading
Posted in Miscellaneous, Reviews
Tagged Derek Walker, Eastgate, electronica, Recurring Dreams, review, Tangerine Dream
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7-63 Up – One of the Greatest Documentary Series Ever Made?
Angered by Britain’s class system and inspired by the Jesuit saying: “Give me the child until he is seven and I will show you the man,” in 1964 Tim Hewat, founder-editor of TV documentary series World in Action, selected 14 … Continue reading
Posted in DVDs / Blu-Ray
Tagged 63 Up, 7 Up, Derek Walker, Documentary, Michael Apted, Neil Hughes, review, Roger Ebert
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Rory Gallagher – Check Shirt Wizard (Live in ’77)
“We’ve got a jack-knife beat, killer of a backbeat, sounds like an iceberg rolling down a back street.” Not quite, but Rory playing live at the peak of his career is still a majestic sound. Ask me what gig I … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Rock Reviews
Tagged 1977, Blues, Check shirt Wizard, Derek Walker, Live, review, Rock Review, Rory gallagher, strat
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